![]() Whelp, took four years, but COVID finally got me and the kiddo. Boo. Luckily, our cases are mild and I was able to get on Paxlovid the day I tested positive. Sadly, this did put a bit of a crimp in some of my birthday staycation plans. I was able to do some things, but I cancelled the fancy birthday dinner with the husband along with my massage and facial. I do not want to add the summer surge. But, it did give me an excuse to loaf around, read, color, and and watch the kiddo sing along to Taylor Swift songs while she watched the concert on her tablet.
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![]() You know what's a great test of your knowledge? Parenting. First, kids are constantly asking, "Why?" Which usually just means "tell me more." Our kiddo is in a phase of asking, "Why do we need..." about anything and everything she can think of. Trying to explain the purpose of soil, bugs, the sky, Taylor Swift, and unicorns has been interesting. Second, when your kiddos are still young, you have to explain things in ways they can understand. It's a true test of your expertise when you're forced to break down complex topics into their simplest points. Lately, we've been trying to get the kiddo to eat different food. We tell her that's because each kind of food has different "energies" in them. Carbs give her "fast" energy so she can run around. Sugar gives her "silly" energy so she can have fun. Protein gives her "strong" energy so she can lift things and move. Veggies and fruit give her "healthy" energy so she doesn't get sick. Is this even close to the real science? Unlikely - but it gets to the heart of the things. I enjoy the challenge but, if she starts asking me about anything related to physics I'm screwed.
![]() Fridays after Thursday holidays always feel like the most pointless work day. I had to work but had no meetings. To go extra easy on myself, I decided not to put any major items on my to-do list. That was a smart move because our internal work chat showed how scattered we all were. I was sending typos all over the place and our train of conversation was mostly non-sequiturs. (One of my coworkers kept accidentally scanning barcodes into the chat which only added to the hilarity.) On top of that, I literally waited 15-minutes for a meeting to start that is actually scheduled for this coming Friday. It was like my brain decided to take the day off without me. It makes me question the judgment of the American work schedule (again). How productive can these days really be? Many people take these days off already. Those that are in the office are, often, mentally checked out. Can't we just collectively decide that hustle culture can take a break for one day? Turning that pointless workday into a four day weekend may actually increase productivity once people come back to the office refreshed. What do you think?
![]() Emotionally, this was a roller coaster of a week. I started out on a high with some great news from work and an awesome tour of our (almost finished!) remodeled space. And then I made a not bad for only 45-minutes of work video of said tour. Then the week ended in complete despair. Every breaking news alert made me want to cry. I'm genuinely afraid of the November election. As a DC resident, what happens in Congress impacts us more than many others because many of our laws have to be approved by people we did not elect. AND I AM NOT OKAY WITH THAT. So, I'm just going to mope a bit and hope things get better. Also, if you care at all about how this country is run make sure you are registered to vote and then make sure that ballot gets in by the deadline.
![]() One of the movies we watched this week (I can't remember which), had a scene where the characters talk about the best day of their lives. I actually paused the movie to talk about this with my husband. In my almost 40 years on this Earth, one day immediately popped into my head: the day before our kiddo was born. On that day, DC was blessed with absolutely stunning weather. There was no rain, it was sunny, and cool with a light breeze. In the morning, I completed a few productive errands and tasks. Then, I met my bestie for lunch and a calming sound bath meditation. On the way home, I stopped to pick up a slice of our favorite pie. My water then broke at home while I was conveniently in the bathroom. That was a shock, but I had no pain or stress because the sound bath put me in a mindful state. Plus, there was the hilarious moment the Husband thought I was joking because he was elbow-deep in prepping a lasagna to freeze for after the kiddo arrived. We took our time getting to the hospital because my contractions did not bother me in the least. To help with labor, the husband and I ended up walking the halls and talking for hours. I ended the night in our room watching bad TV as I breathed through my growing contractions. This felt like a great day as it happened. But, I think the momentous change that was about to happen makes all the details stick more clearly in my mind. I have a clarity for the moment and my emotions that does not exist for other events in my life. What was your best day?
![]() Earlier this week, we were watching Felicity. A random character shared that he has this theory that everybody was better than everyone else at three things. While I don't agree with that theory, it did prove to be an interesting conversation prompt . What would our three things be? After some deliberation, I landed on the following:
What are you three things?
![]() Over the past few weeks, we've had to ask daycare to wake up the kiddo from a nap. We do this because, when she naps for more than 15 minutes it throws off her entire sleep schedule. She ends up staying awake until 10:30 or 11 which makes waking her up the next day nearly impossible. She's short on sleep, cranky, and then needs a nap to make it through the day. It's a cycle we don't like. Hence why we ask school to wake her up. We want to keep her nighttime sleep consolidated. This week, when we messaged about waking her up, a teacher messaged us back saying they would wake her up but they wanted to talk about it more later. *record scratch* Here I am, the mom, feeling like I just got in trouble for something. My brain immediately went back to when I did something wrong as a kid. I felt my shoulders slump and I put my head down. It really did feel like I'd just been called to the principal's office. How is it that, even as adults, we get these feelings? Do we ever grow out of them? (Everything was fine. Daycare just wanted the full context of why we were asking and to discuss options.)
![]() I'm a big fan of Gmail but one thing really annoys me - the spam button is right next to the delete button. Several times a week, I accidentally mark something as spam when I don't mean to. Then I have to undo everything in the hopes that I still get messages I want. It's a tiny thing, but it's annoying. Why can't there be a separator? Or, maybe, they could move the spam button elsewhere on the menu. I would even take changing the color. Anything to make it just a little harder to click that icon. Which bit of tech interface would you fix?
![]() Over a decade ago, the husband and I went to his cousin's wedding. Since we were out of town guests, our hotel room came with the standard welcome bag of goodies. The goodies I can't remember at all, but the bag is something I use all the time. At first, I didn't think much of this bag. It's a kind of loud, blue patchwork style. Each of the squares is a different striped tartan pattern. The bottom and straps are a denim blue. Honestly, the look is not my style in the least. It is, however, well-made in a sturdy, almost canvas-like fabric. It is also the perfect size. It's about two inches larger than letter-sized all around. There is also a tiny interior pocket ideal for holding Chapstick, business cards, and a hotel room key. Ever since that wedding, this bag has become my go-to conference tote. In fact, I find this bag so perfect that I always turn down the free totes they hand you at registration. Those bags are always far too large with too long a handle drop. My blue bag tucks perfectly under my arm and doesn't hit me when I walk. The main pocket can hold my work laptop (and power cord), conference program, water bottle, and the pashmina I carry when rooms are far too cold. I can even slip in a snack or two. There's just enough room leftover to stash freebies and handouts. I also use this bag for my D&D session days, as an airplane carry on (when I don't need my laptop bag), and for parenting days when I want something bigger than a purse but smaller than a diaper bag. This blue bag is perfect. At this point, it lives on my travel packing list because it works for so many things. And it's washable! I've sent this through the washer and air dried it several times with no issue. So, thank you husband's cousin, you've given me one of my hardest working accessories.
![]() On Friday, I flew out to Portland for a conference. It took two long flights for me to get across the country. While the first flight became nap time (I was up at 4:30 AM), the second flight presented a decision I encounter every time I travel for work. On the plane, do I get work done or do I relax? I never quite know what the right choice is. On the one hand, I am travelling on the company dime with my company laptop. In theory, there are plenty of things I could be reading, reviewing, or editing. If I pay for Wi-Fi, I would even have full access to all our systems. On the other hand… I don’t wanna. I’m stuck in a small space for several hours, tired, and generally not able to concentrate on actual work things. Before the days of laptops and on-board Wi-Fi, this wouldn’t even have been a possibility. I could watch a movie or read a book without any feeling of guilt. It's only as technology and access have grown that we've encountered this dilemma. What are our work boundaries when in transit? Ultimately, I split the difference. On the second leg of my journey, I enjoyed lunch while watching The Imitation Game and, then, I brain dumped some work stuff into a Word doc while half watching Top Gun: Maverick. How do you choose to spend your time while travelling for work?
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